Alaska Air Group Chairman Bill Ayer will become chairman of the RTCA NextGen Advisory Committee in October as the two-year term of the current head, JetBlue President and CEO Dave Barger comes to an end. The group is a federal advisory committee formed to advise the FAA on policy-level issues facing the aviation community in implementing NextGen—the FAA’s initiative to modernize the air traffic control system.

“All of us at AOPA are looking forward to working with Bill Ayer at this critical point in NextGen’s development. His experience running a successful airline and as an avid general aviation pilot give him a wide base of understanding about what’s needed to modernize our air traffic systems for all types of users,” said AOPA President Craig Fuller, who was elected in July to a two-year term as chairman of RTCA Inc. In his role at RTCA, Fuller also serves on the NextGen advisory committee.

“He will succeed Dave Barger who as the first NAC chairman has set the leadership bar very high,” Fuller continued. “In my Washington experience, Dave stands as one of the very few executives who can bring a diverse group of people together around complex public policy questions and achieve broad based consensus on paths forward. All of us at AOPA who are engaged with NextGen issues are grateful for Dave Barger’s leadership and are looking forward to working ever more closely with Bill Ayer.”